Attention: Research Paper Outlines will not be due until Thursday, March 26, and we will be working on them in class. Please don't panic, just keep reading your sources!
"RESEARCH PAPERS!"
Two words that strike fear into the heart of even the bravest knight...but never fear! Let this page be your "Excalibur" in your quest to write an awesome paper...
Research Paper Guidelines Handout - Basic information on the format and expectations for the research paper.
One of the best ways to succeed is to learn from the successful! Link here to read a fantastic paper from last year!
Paper Topic Choices for the 2009 Research Paper
See below for the approximate schedule (dates may change).
- Thursday, March 26 – Outline is due
- The two weeks before April 24th will be spent preparing for your Renaissance Faire project, so I won’t require that any other parts of the Research Paper are turned in during that time
- Wednesday, April 29 – First three body paragraphs due
- Friday, May 1 -- First six body paragraphs are due
- Friday, May 8 – Complete rough draft due (including introduction, conclusion, and bibiliography)
- Friday, May 15 – Complete final draft due
Research
So you need to do some research. Start with these:
Santa Barbara Public Library Catalog
If you "Google," you must fill out this handout for each source you use.
Now you need to put the information you've gathered into your own brilliant words. Do not plagiarize. I use internet technology to verify the originality of your work!
Identify the information you will include in your paper, by highlighting or underlining your sources. Obviously, if your source is a book, skip this step!
Make notes or notecards: write down key information in your own words, and record facts or quotations that require in-text citations. Make sure to identify the source on each page of notes or notecards.
Now you need to write an outline. See this handout.
With a strong outline, writing your body paragraphs is a breeze. Just put your information into clear sentences in the order you listed them!
Now for the icing on the cake: your introduction and conclusion.
The introduction should begin with a juicy "hook" to get your reader interested in your topic, followed by a transition that leads into your thesis sentence. The thesis sentence is the last sentence in your introduction, and it's a strong statement about the main subject of your paper.
The conclusion should begin with a re-statement of your thesis, and then transition into a discussion of how your topic is connected to other ideas in history, or how it is still relevant today.
Finally, the bibliography and in-text citations.
We'll be using the MLA form for the bibliography. You can build your bibliography with Noodletools, or by hand. Remember to alphabetize your entries.
If you cite specific facts, numbers, images, or quotes straight from one of your sources, follow them with in-text citations. You'll indicate the author or editor of one of the sources in your bibliography, and the page number where the information is found. Here are two examples:
As Mr. Rogers once observed, "I've never met a cardigan I didn't like," (Williams, pg. 259).
or
Experts have indicated that Mr. Rogers had more than 500 cardigans in his closet by the time he was 60. (Williams, pg. 231)
Research Paper Quicklinks
Introductions and Conclusions | Research | Bibliographies
A Checklist for Papers in MLA Form | Topic Sentences
Mini - Research Papers on Medieval Europe and Japan
Your assignment: To write a 1-2 page research paper on your assigned topic. Here are my expectations:
- Your paper should have an attention-grabbing title.
- Your paper should begin with an introductory paragraph that grabs your reader with a juicy "hook" and and introduces them to your topic.
- The final sentence of the introduction should be your thesis, or the main idea of your paper, for example: "Samurai trained physically, mentally, and spiritually to prepare for the brutality of the battleground."
- Your paper should contain three or more body paragraphs which give facts and details about your topic.
- Each body paragraph should begin with a clear topic sentence, such as "The mental training of the samurai taught students to concentrate, think quickly, and always be ready for the unexpected." All the information in that body paragraph should fall under the topic of your topic sentence.
- The concluding paragraph of your paper should begin with a restatement of your thesis. Then, transition into the "big picture," how your topic is still relevant today, or what your reader can learn from your paper.
- A bibliography on a separate sheet of paper with 2-3 sources, one of which could be the textbook. Your bibliography should follow the MLA style.
See the research page for useful research sites.
